The Ice Court
by MiyuTanemura
Summary: AU. Forced to undergo an arranged marriage, Natsu runs to the forest where he meets Gray and is led to an astounding place. But the mysteries that are waiting to be unveiled run deep... And who will break the curse? Natsu/Gray
1. A Gloomy Day

Disclaimer: If you recognize something here – it's not mine. I only sorted the ideas and wrote them down ^^

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><p><strong>The Ice Court<strong>

Chapter One – A gloomy day

It was nearly noon but no-one would've guessed it, seeing as the clouds were dark with rain and looming menacingly in the horizon, covering the light that managed to filter through it.

The somber forest was brimming with life, along the road, and it was noticeable through the dark foliage that was pearled with rain drops. The sounds of the wildlife were there, countering the eternal and solemn murmur of the trees but soon they were overpowered by the sudden noise that came from the road.

A dark wooden carriage cut through the natural noises, as wood creaked, the horses whinnied and the wheels did squelching noises because of the muddy ground.

Inside, a young man with spiky pink hair sat, bored, with his parents. He was looking through the window, absentmindedly, eyes not seeing the gloomy outside. But, all in all, he was trying to keep the excited chatter from entering his thoughts.

Opposite to the young man, a man and a woman were discussing something – the woman could barely contain her excitement and she was getting amused replies from her husband.

Black eyes moved from the outside to the inside of the lush compartment. Deep red satin covered the seats of the comfy seats. The curtains were pushed to the side but the hazy light still bounced from it to deliver a red glow to the inside of the carriage.

"Sit up straight, Natsu. If you keep those manners things aren't going to be completely sorted out today." The woman leaned forward to lift her son's chin. Setting back she patted her revealing purple dress to look composed, her right hand lifting to the lock of pink hair that fell over her shoulder.

"I am sitting straight-" was the reply, as the young man leaned heavily on the armrest.

"No, you're not. This wasn't what we had planned. Didn't Igneel explain you anything? That's why he-" she closed her mouth at the reproachful glance her husband threw at her. "Don't mind that, just… don't forget that you're going there to cement our position. You mustn't forget that you're representing the fire mages and that this is a very important event…"

"Listen to your mother, son. We all know that much is at stake here." The muscled red headed man added, his left hand coming to rest on his wife's knee.

"But I…"

"No buts. That's how things are going to go and that's final. I doubt that Igneel forgot to tell you about the war…"

"He didn't but-"

"And he also showed you the meaning of what's going to happen and the reason for our family to be the ones to do it. Our power hasn't been forgotten and now we must use it to our fullest advantage." The earrings, portraying a dragon, which were a symbol of her status, jingled slightly.

"He told me all about it-" Natsu wasn't about to let his mentor look bad, "-but the question still remains. What do they win with a marriage – and why me?"

The pink haired woman pursed her lips and straightened in a haughty pose, voice coming cold.

"You're getting married because it is for the best. We all knew of your… misadventures… and neither your father nor I got impressed. You must take your responsibilities more seriously."

"And your mother and I thought that having a family would help you with that… Maybe then you can envision the importance of your duties at the Guild of Hunters. You've let us down, son. The last time you were there… We thought that your handle on your power was better." He shook his head slightly.

"I do have good control on my power, father." The youth clenched his teeth and closed his hands in fists. "They were the ones who cheated. Igneel taught me how to-"

"Enough of that. What's gone, is gone. And we're on a new stage now. This family is quite well known and, apparently, they have close connections to the Diamond Throne. We're not going to jeopardize anything." The red head threw a hard glare at his son.

"So you better be in your best behaviour, okay?" the woman asked, steely.

"Yes mother." Natsu leaned back in his chair and turned his attention back to the outside. At least there he could pretend he was free…

They arrived to an imposing manor precisely when a drizzle of rain started falling. The dark green of the forest that immediately grew beyond the well kept lawns creating a small melody that managed to reach them. The moment their carriage stopped in front of the heavy doors, they flew open and a tall, thin, full of himself man stood in front of them, waiting.

Natsu's parents quickly descended the carriage and ran up the large five stone stairs that led to the door, cursing the rain that fell. The pink haired boy also exited the carriage and stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at his parents and, what seemed to be a butler, being outlined by the yellow light that came from the inside.

With a sigh he climbed the stairs calmly. He was in no hurry to get inside, so it didn't matter to him that the rain was soaking his clothes.

As he got to the door, he noticed that the man was eyeing them analytically. Well, they were kind of wet but still presentable enough. His mother standing tall in her purple fitted dress, with a silk silver shawl thrown over her shoulders. Her hair had been twisted in a complicated way and was held up, showing silver beads peeking here and there, only one long lock of hair was falling on her shoulder artistically. Earrings, necklace and the ring in her finger portrayed her high position more than words could. Beside her, stood his father, serious and daring the thin man to say anything. He had his second best tunic, the light grey one with the rune of the Guild on the top of it, a small set of pins showing his position; he had his black pants and boots. Over there was the dark grey overcoat. He looked as if he could go hunting the following moment – only he had more class than the one that would be necessary in a hunt.

Natsu was also well dressed, similar to his father, only in brown and without all the symbols and stuff. To him things hadn't been all that easy, in matters or the Guild.

"The Lord and the Lady are waiting for you. Please, do follow…" the thin man stepped to the side, closed the door and led them to the bowels of the manor. The decoration of the corridors was dark, to say the least.

Chandeliers on the walls gave light every now and then, and nearby them was possible to see paintings and some gruesome works of art. Natsu took his eyes from the walls quickly and just stared to the front. His magic was running right under his skin, begging for release and to warm him up, as this place was so cold. The group finally got to an ornate door and was ushered in. Natsu and his parents had entered a huge room – a ball room probably – with a large table in the middle and a row of judging ancestors. At least here two large fireplaces had huge fires singing happily. Natsu was comforted slightly to have his element happily and ready to rise at his beckon, if the need arose.

But, suspicion was lodged on his mind; how come that a family that was of – they were it, right? – water mages was feeling at ease with the fire roaring in the same room? At least fire to that extent… It didn't exactly make sense, unless they wanted to show off their superiority… Natsu gulped. He wasn't feeling too well now. His attention shifted from the fire to the pair that had just entered the room. Quickly he glanced to the tall windows, noticing that the rain had already stopped falling and that it was already possible to differentiate the green of the grass from the lawns from the ominous green from the forest that seemed to be ready to take over the boarder.

"So, you've finally arrived," said the woman – who was around his mother's size, dressed in a plum dress, pale blonde hair caught high, with jewelry that seemed black as coal. The man on her side was dressed smartly in a black suit, his dark blue hair being more accentuated.

"We have, as we said." Natsu's father confirmed gravely.

"Welcome to our humble estate, shall we sit to discuss the conditions? There's no reason for us to beat around the bush." The man motioned to the table.

"We didn't expect less from the Lockser family…"

"And don't expect less from the Dragneel family either."

They all sat down, Natsu standing behind his parents' chairs.

"It's time to call her, don't you think dear?"

Lady Locklear looked at her husband and gave a small nod to the servant that was waiting, on the side. Said servant exited the room through one of the doors on the far wall and, soon enough, opened it, giving way to Natsu's fiancée.

The girl that stood before them was dressed in a pale blue dress, which accentuated her darker blue hair and eyes. Big curls framed her face and the rest of the hair fell freely down her back. A single silver necklace was adorning her neck.

She stood there, prettily, looking pale and cold.

Natsu couldn't help thinking that she looked extremely cold, as if there were something that didn't… he couldn't even qualify it.

"This is our daughter, Juvia." She did a little curtsey.

"And you've already met Natsu, our son." With a look from his mother, Natsu stiffly walked towards Juvia and held her hand, his lips barely touching her cold skin.

"Alright. Now we can get to the things that matter. With this marriage we will formally twine two opposite lines and that will…" Natsu started tuning them out, by then. He had already heard this conversation over and over again on the last few weeks. He couldn't hear it anymore.

Besides, he was starting to feel a little strange. The faces of the ancestors all around them were looking haughtily at him, as if tracking his very movement and deeming him unworthy of their noble lineage. Those noses stuck in the air… the darkness that emanated from every corner but the fireplaces and the few candleholders that lined the walls, it was all starting to press in on Natsu.

Then there was the conversation, of which he could hear some bits here and there - it was getting too much for him. A thought got to him, _how was it possible that these strangers – yes, even his parents were strangers to him, with all their hunts and stays at the Guild and whatnot – were deciding and sealing his fate?_

His breath started coming faster, a claustrophobic feeling spreading through him and it really got too much. So, Natsu did the first thing that came to mind.

He started running.

The young man didn't have any place in mind, just the _need_ to get the hell out of there. And, going in a straight line, the first thing he did was finding some solace in the dark forest.

The moment he set foot on the dark place he felt something different happening, the air was sharper and cleaner, breezing through him and taking away the wisps of stifling gloom that still clung to his body. As he ran through the green foliage, disturbing it, drops of water ran down his clothes and hair and distracted him.

He was so distracted that he got to a small clearing and his control over his magic finally slipped. An orange glow appeared, the trees, grass and bushes nearby all lit up around him.

Gasping, Natsu tried to get his breath back – and also his grasp on his magic. Something had hit him harder than he thought… never had he reacted like this…

The fire mage gave one step. And another.

Despite the light of the flames he stumbled over something and fell over something. That something was cold and hard. And grunted…?

"Ugh! Warm… Could you please get off of me?" asked a voice.

Natsu caught himself on his hands and knees and hoisted himself up, eyes coming to meet another set of dark eyes staring at him, annoyed.

It was another person?

"Who-what are you?"

A snort and a roll of eyes were his only answer.

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><p><strong>AN:** This is a quick fic. I don't think that this will be over 5 chapters (plus one extra, maybe) but I know that I'm not going to develop this as much as I should but, there's not time. *shrugs*

You might've noticed that this story begins as a well-known story (guess which :P) but I think that it gets a bit different. And those differences will be more noticeable in the following chapters.

I dedicate this story to all the readers who have supported me so far. Thank you. I hope that you enjoy this story.

And also to my friend K, her support has been flawless and very important for me to continue writing. ^^

So far, this isn't beta-ed, so pardon the awkward phrasing.

Feedback is appreciated, as usual.


	2. Sinterra and the Ice Court

Disclaimer: Still not mine

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><p>Chapter Two – Sinterra and the Ice Court<p>

"Seriously. Who are you?" the fire mage repeated, shadows cast by the flames dancing across his face.

"I'm just a random person that was sleeping-"

"On the ground? Huh, I don't mean to call you stupid or anything but, on the ground you'll freeze. To death, maybe, since the weather's been quite cold lately." He finished mumbling.

"I was quite well sleeping before you came here with your warmth and woke me. This unbearable heat…"

"I'm sorry about the fire, I kind of… hey! What did you mean with that?" Natsu got up and patted his clothes, not looking at the pale person that was still lying on the ground. He turned and eyed the flames.

"Go figure. Just... you could've been a bit less bruising. Where the hell did you come from?" the dark haired man shook his head and sat up, elbows coming to rest on his knees.

The pink haired youth turned and looked at the man, hand rising to point distractedly in the direction he had just come from. "I came from… there, yeah. Over there." With a snap of his coat the fire mage looked longingly at the plumes of fire that danced all around them.

"So, you came from _there_ and just set a fire here and woke unsuspecting people – rather rudely, might I add." The pale, dark haired man crossed his legs and let his hands rest on the grass in front of him. He frowned suspiciously as he spoke.

"Well, you see…" Natsu was feeling quite awkward, and the other man's gaze following him intently wasn't helping matters.

"Why do you have those dark threads coming off of you?" the other asked suddenly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Natsu turned, trying to look over his shoulder and down his clothes.

"Those dark things." the one sitting looked up into the sky, and rain started falling, putting off the fires and plunging the pair to a semi-darkness.

"I don't-" the pink haired mage was startled and gave a step back when the other, suddenly was in front of him. There was a slight pressure against his shoulder and the dark haired one was holding a small, contorting line in his hand. Presenting it to him.

"This is what still clings to you." He let the line fall in his open palm where rain started gathering and immersing the thread. Soon after it was didn't move anymore. "Fortunately this rain will take care of them. It is cleansing, you know?"

"No I don't- wait a second. You still haven't answered my question. Who are you? And what were you doing out here on the ground?"

The other threw him a sour look. He bit his lip and scratched his head. Only then was Natsu able to notice a few things about his interlocutor. He had no shirt. Nothing was covering his upper body – which was a bit on the crazy side since it was the beginning of winter and the first fall of snow was imminent. At least on the bottom he had some black tattered pants and boots.

"And aren't you cold?" these last words left his lips and knew that he had said something wrong when the look turned into a glare.

After a forceful sigh, the other finally answered.

"My name is Gray. Gray Fulbuster, if you want to know. And I was sleeping. Until I got rudely awakened. Do you have no manners? Your clothes would make it seem that you're from good families but your attitude doesn't show." He ended up with an arched eyebrow.

"Don't you try to sidetrack me. And, yes, I do have manners. My name is Natsu Dragneel, from the Dragneel family, you know? It is fairly known." The pink haired mage wondered if he hadn't just met an enemy to the family, seeing the other's lips thin into a taut line.

"I do know… of it. The Salamander lineage, am I right?"

Natsu was surprised. Not many knew that – his family was more known because of their active works with renowned Guilds from several sides of the country, in the last couple of centuries. The Salamander roots were extremely ancient and mostly forgotten for most of the population and some of the family members.

"You are… How did-? Never mind. Nice meeting you," Natsu gave a slight bow. "Now that I've proved that I'm not an idiot, could you tell my why were you on the ground? It's not the most comfortable place to be…"

"You've hardly proven not to be an idiot…" Gray smirked. "However, I was here because I needed to think a bit. And in my town that wasn't going to work." He shrugged.

"And you're not cold?" the other's paleness had gotten quite ethereal while they were speaking, in a way that the other was easily noticeable even in the darkness of the forest.

"No, cold isn't a thing that I feel-" Gray closed his mouth abruptly and turned, back to Natsu. "I have to go now." And he started walking to the nearest tree line.

"No, wait. I… let me go with you." Natsu grabbed the other's shoulder only to let go with a surprised hiss. It was freezing.

"I don't see why I should." Gray added sternly, still walking ahead towards… a grey tree? And it was glowing softly too.

Natsu started running after him, crossing under the grey tree.

Waves of cold crashed against him and the trees surrounding him got a grey tinge too, creating a strange tunnel. Gray was walking ahead, seemingly not noticing any of this. Natsu gasped but still persisted in following the other, even while the cold wrapped tightly around him, freezing his limbs and slowing him down. Natsu's magic surged, then, and spread through his body, making him regain control of his limbs and hurry after the other.

A blinding light hit him alongside the coldest wave yet and he found himself in another place altogether.

It was… a few houses bunched together, as far as he could see… Could it be that this was the town the other was talking about?

Dark buildings lined the main road, pale glows appeared here and there and high torches gave the remaining lighting – which wasn't much. At the end of the street, a huge mansion stood, imposing and looming over the town, seemingly. Huge lines of glow seemed to highlight it and draw attention to it.

"What-where are we?" he finally asked.

"We're in – I mean, this is Sinterra the-"

"Graaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy! You're back!" a high pitched voice said, while a pale blue ball of fur threw itself at the dark haired one.

Natsu blinked, and his eyebrows raised when he saw what the other was holding tenderly.

It was a cat. But it had come from the sky and, from where he was from, cats didn't fly.

Gray was laughing and answering calmly to the cheerful chatter that the fur ball was maintaining. Cats didn't _speak_ either!

"-we were so worried, you weren't coming and, how did you wake? The whole-"

"Gray. Hm, what is this place?" Natsu was feeling strange, even if there was something here that smelt good and seemed to be appeasing his inner fire.

A crowd seemed to get closer to them and he could see the bunch of people – they were the townspeople but why were they here already?

The other stopped scratching the cat's head and nodding to the newcomers. He turned to the fire mage and answered, finally.

"This is Sinterra - and this is the Ice Court."

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><p><strong>AN:** Second installment. Natsu meets Gray. I know that the dialogue was a bit awkward but, I did my best… the Muse isn't completely with me for this, it would seem.

Anyway, we finally got to a new place where the rest of the people finally enter. I hope not to bomb the other characters when they come… Oh well, I'm already making them sort of completely OoC so the others being OoC too won't matter that much either. xD

My most heartfelt thanks to the reviewers, you made me tackle this chapter today and I hope it was to your liking so far. :D

K, I still dedicate this to you. ^^

Still unbeta-ed, I'm in a hurry but, it will be beta-ed eventually. So, all the mistakes are mine, unfortunately… ^^

As usual, feedback helps a lot to update faster.


	3. Getting to know the Court

Disclaimer: There are some volumes of FT out that I do need to buy but other than those, I don't own anything.

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><p>Chapter Three – Getting to know the Court<p>

Natsu blinked and looked at the crowd that had gotten to where they were in no time. Shiny eyes in way too pale faces stared at him and, in no time, they were surrounding the fire mage.

Many voices raised and started talking at the same time, nothing discernible came to his ears, just a jumbled mess of noise.

Natsu looked around in search of Gray but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Gray! He, Gray? Where are you?" he looked all around himself but the other had vanished. At least the townspeople seemed to be calmer and they were back to staring at him.

The moment was suspended for a couple of instants and then a red haired woman in armour said "We need to confirm it!" and drew a sword which was on Natsu's neck in no time. The fire mage held his breath, already feeling the cold steel pressing dangerously on his skin, making a thin line of blood blossom.

"Hey! There's no need to act like that already." A small girl objected, a white cat (that was just like the other, incidentally) perched on her shoulder.

"Yes I do. We need to secure the town. Gray shouldn't have brought him here like this. He might be-" she let her lips fall in a thin line. "He shouldn't have done that. Now," she turned her focus back to the fire mage, green eyes standing out immensely in contrast to her nearly white skin. "-who are you and why are you here?"

The pink haired mage gulped and raised his hands, in a slow motion, trying to calm her.

"I-I'm Natsu and… and I'm here because I followed Gray. I wanted some answers and hoped that he could give them to me. Where… just where are we? What are those things he mentioned?"

The red head still glared at him suspiciously but the sword wasn't pressing so much against him. A blonde girl stepped to the front and made the other lower her sword.

"See? There's no need for that." She threw a reproachful look at the knight. Turning to Natsu her eyes held some humour. "Gray can be like that sometimes… He told you where this is. Sinterra, no man's land, our home."

"Home? The Ice Court…?"

"Well, yes, we are the Ice Court." The smile that had been sincere so far grew slightly tight and forced. "And… this is where we live." She did a motion towards the dark buildings.

The crowd had mostly dispersed by then, the fire mage noticed.

"So, what do you have that's so amazing for you to be able to reach this place?" she glanced at the few that were still there with them and then back at him, waiting expectantly.

"Me? Amazing? I don't think that I have anything…"

"You must have something. Ordinary people don't reach Sinterra that easily. And when they reach they're not in your condition." The blonde caught his arm and laced hers in his, starting to take him towards the main road. "When they get here they only fall to the side and die…" she muttered and her head turned to a large pile of dirt that lay near the black trees. The glow from the road allowed Natsu to see the piles of bones that protruded haphazardly on the ground.

The fire mage gulped.

"No, I don't see anything… I'm only a fire mage and-" he looked to the ground, a thoughtful expression on his face, so he didn't notice the incredulous expressions that the others had, "-oh, he did get a bit weird when I told him about my family, he knew about the Salamander lineage…" the gasp that issued from behind made him stop and look back. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"You're from the Salamander-?" the small girl from before looked at him amazed. The other three that were accompanying him also had surprised looks on their faces.

"Yeah, they're my ancestors, why? Is that a-?"

The gravel crunched and a tall figured was coming in their direction. It was a man that strangely seemed to have metal covering some parts of his body.

"So, that's the cause of all this commotion?" the man commented, crossing his arms in front of him and standing taller in the middle of the road.

A pretty girl with short blue hair quickly went to his side, and held his arm in a way similar to the one the blonde was holding his own. "He's the cause, yes, and I think that you'll like to know that he's from the Salamander line…"

The black eyes of the other widened a little and he looked pointedly at Natsu. "Are you sure? He can't. That can't be. He doesn't seem like… Levi, are you serious?" the other's skin was darker that the rest of the group's but still held a otherworldly paleness, that stood in stark contrast against the metal that framed his face. He was staring disbelievingly between Natsu and the blue haired girl, Levi.

"I am, Gajeel. He might be the solution… but we need your opinion. You knew more, from the blacksmith…" she was met with a nod.

The man – Gajeel – scratched his chin, looking appraisingly at Natsu. "How about we take him to the tavern? He might get in more depth in those statements." A slightly feral smirk emerged on his face.

"That's where we were taking him to." The blonde on his side replied, and pulled Natsu so that they were heading to one of the dark buildings.

They passed one and another. The rotten wood sprouting ugly from the fronts, tarpaulins covering sides and swaying slightly in the inexistent wind. _How were they moving?_ Natsu wondered, not feeling the slightest breeze.

Finally they got to a building that was more lit and seemed to be in better conditions than the surrounding ones. A sign in the front read '_Cola de Hada Tavern_' in faded black ink, with a blot in a myriad of colours that supposedly had been a fairy once.

The red head – which had been silent the whole time – pushed the door open and they were met with an orange glow that Natsu knew very well and happy chatter came to them too. Inside it was warmer and brighter and, for a few seconds, it felt that this was how things should be.

As they entered the, unexpectedly spacious salon the chatter died down as the newcomers were appraised. Natsu was quickly herded to one table on a secluded corner, and in no time the noise from the other tables had raised again, their presences seemingly forgotten.

"Okay, so you're going to explain that now. And, in turn, we might answer some of your questions. I'm Lucy, by the way, acclaimed writer." She extended a hand at him, which he shook, distractedly. There was something nagging at his senses. He was feeling weird, as if he had an itch but couldn't quite say where it was to scratch it.

"Natsu… Natsu Dragneel, as I mentioned it before."

All around the table nods were seen.

"Hey Mira! Could you bring us some cidraveijas?" Lucy hailed to a pale haired girl that was behind the counter.

"What are you doing here, my friends? Did you come to hear and discuss the Manliness in-"

"Shut up Elfman," another woman that had a huge keg in her hands was looking at Natsu strangely. "We're finally going to listen to the story of that young man…" she cleaned her mouth to the back of her hand and leaned forward, breasts being highlighted shamelessly in her revealing brown, flimsy dress and locks of dark hair falling seductively around her.

"Oh Kana, stop your theatrics. Let us hear him." The red head glared at the other and looked at the pink haired mage while taking a dagger and a metallic contraption and started sharpening the blade. "Please, go on."

"So… I was-" the jugs of a golden liquid hit the table, interrupting him again.

"Here are the drinks!" the girl that was behind the bar placed brimming cups in front of each member of the table while the guy that had been reprimanded before – Elfman, apparently – was handing them to her.

"Great, sit down." Lucy said. "We're listening to understand why he got here."

"Hey, it's not that big a story. I tripped on Gray while he was lying on the forest, we exchanged some words and I followed him and got here." Natsu lifted his hands in calming manner. "And he seemed to take some weird lines from my back. But he said that the rain would… clean… them. What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Lines? Were they black and slimy and moving?" asked the small girl, eyes big and seemingly getting to a conclusion.

"Y-yeah. How did you know?"

"Our Wendy here used to be a healer apprentice. And she was also great with some magic sorts and minor curses." The blue haired girl, Levi, patted the other, which made the cat look at her until she lifted her hand. The aforementioned girl was blushing like a tomato.

"It-it's not like that… it's nothing much, really…"

"Ahah, and she's still just too shy."

"But what did that mean Wendy?"

"Yes, what was that?" the fire mage asked, curious. "Gray grabbed one of those things and let it drown in the water from the rain… he also mentioned that the rain was quite cleansing…"

"It was… I mean, it is. The rain in the clearing is filtered by the- well, you don't want to know, certainly. But the lines were of a minor binding curse used by water mages. The counter curse can only be performed by some mage that has any sort of affinity to the element water. Be it a water mage, an ice mage, a mists mage…" she shrugged.

"Oh, oh. I've read about that one. It can be really bad as it uses the magic of the target and gets tougher the more the time passes and the more the target struggles. In some cases it can lead to death, even though it is mostly used to smaller effects." Levi recited, as if she were reading from the book.

"That means that he saved you, huh?" Lucy asked, chin resting in her entwined fingers.

"It would seem so…" Natsu nodded in agreement.

The red head stopped sharpening her dagger and threw a small indignant look at him. "I would be a bit more thankful, if I were you. It's not every day that-"

"Erza! He doesn't know and he couldn't know this if no-one told him." Lucy crossed her arms and let them resting in the table, as she leaned forward and said in a conspiring mutter, "Besides, he has a lot to apprehend. This can't be easy to him and he's the first visitor we had in… don't know how long."

"You're talking way too much about things that I don't understand. Could you please explain? How's it possible that this is so secluded that no visitors come? What the hell is wrong with the other-" he paused at the glares that everybody threw at him, "-with Gray? You speak of him as if he were somehow apart from you…" his sight was inexplicably drawn to the fire. What? The fire was different, didn't call him with the same intensity he was used to. That was it… that strangeness he was feeling…

"Somehow apart from us? That might be a way to put it." Gajeel growled, laying down his mug. "After all, he's the reason for all this."

"Don't put the blame on him. It wasn't his fault." The rest of the table quickly objected against Gajeel's words.

"He can't be the only one to have acted that way. You had to be quite corrupt not to act that way!"

This seemed to be an ongoing argument with this group, Natsu noticed. But, he wasn't understanding anything – again.

"How did he act? What happened after?"

"He doesn't agree that he opposed that igmorfus and got cursed. And we fell… under… the…" the blonde's eyes met the fire mage's ones. "Huh, I mean…"

"He was cursed? Wait. Did you say igmorfus? As in, igmorfus, _igmorfus_? Those creatures?" Natsu eyed every single person at the table.

"Yes. They cursed him and, I don't even want to remember how _we_ ended up in this mess…" the woman with the keg said while grabbing one of the still full jugs from the table. In no time she was downing it.

"But, what's the curse about? Hasn't one of the Guilds nearby tried to help in any way?" he persisted.

"Do you remember where this is? No man's land. Regular people can't get here. Even if you're not an ordinary person and have some sort of power it won't let you enter easily. And you saw how it treats most of our visitors." Erza replied, he gauntlet closing with a metallic sound.

"And the curse was an unfortunate one. It _froze_ him. Gray can't move or do anything until the fire reaches him." Lucy added.

"Fire. Fire? You mean me?"

"Well, yeah. You're the first person that comes here and you did something to him, I think."

"You've got to be out of your mind! I don't have- I can't have. No. I don't know any of this but I'm sure that I'm not the right person." The fire mage lifted his hands defensively.

"Why? You have the issued characteristics. Besides, you're from a Guild, aren't you?"

"Yeah, you look like someone from a Guild."

The others also nodded, hopeful.

"I'm… No, I'm not." He bit his lip. "I went to do the admission tests but there were some problems…" Natsu's fists balled on the table until the knuckles went white. It still hurt. How they had stabbed him on the back and defied him treacherously. It wasn't fair. He wasn't his parents and he deserved to make a name for himself just… the others didn't agree…

"So… you can't do anything…"

Disheartened looks were on the faces of every person at that table.

"We… we can't lose hope. Natsu's here and that changes something, at least." Wendy said, after some time.

"You have a point." Lucy nodded, a determined look back on her face. "Anyway, we can now have a proper introduction. I'm Lucy. You can forget the last name, we don't use them here anymore. I used to be a writer – quite well-known, might I add."

"You already know Wendy and that she was a healer apprentice and I'm Levi, I used to manage one of the bigger libraries in… where was it, really?" the short bluer haired girl looked pensively to the tabletop. "Oh, and this one here's Charle. Wendy's cat. She's… different." She said as an afterthought.

"Gajeel. Blacksmith and former adventurer. I dealt with some pretty fucked up shit." He grumbled.

"I'm Erza, a fallen knight. There are some disloyal people out there." The red head finished storing her daggers amidst her broken armour.

"That-that drinking lady is Kana. She used to be in the Golden Court but somehow has become a fallen lady." Wendy added shyly.

"And, lastly, Mirajane and Elfman. They're siblings and the bar tenants. This tavern has been in their family for generations and the name is quite well-known. The rest of the people, you'll get to know them too. They're all a bunch of nice people – a bit noisy sometimes, but nice."

"Wait a second. You said Golden Court." Natsu interjected. Ah, Igneel would be so proud of him right now, "The Golden Court is from ages ago. They were-" understanding dawned on them. "How long have you been here?"

There was a general shrug.

"As Gray is frozen so are we. Stuck in time. And none of us knows how this is going to end."

"So that's why you call yourselves the Ice Court?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

In the background the weak song of the fire reached Natsu.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Another installment! *cheers*

Wow, I'm on a roll – and with a longer chapter to boot! I'm having way too much fun with this story, really… xD

Okay, hopefully this has still been enjoyable, even if the characters are a bit OoC (I'm so sorry!) and the dialogue is a bit '_meh_'. Oh well in that case, let's wait for the rewrite, shall we? :P

Thank you reviewers (if there are any), you're awesome.

And you're awesome too K. Hope you liked this one…

Oh, yeah, in case you didn't notice, this is unbeta-ed… :P

As usual, any feedback is highly appreciated.


	4. Doubts and the curse

Disclaimer: Not mine

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><p>Chapter Four – Doubts and the curse<p>

Gray saw Natsu be surrounded by his friends who were staring at him suspiciously.

Happy looked up at him, inquiringly, to which Gray shook his head in a negative manner. He could _feel_ that something strange had happened. And the others had reacted to it. In the distance he could hear Natsu calling him.

"Gray?" his friend asked, elongated claws giving the slightest pinch to his arm.

"Nothing Happy, it's nothing." And, without noticing, he had reached his house; dark and heavy wooden doors closing silently behind him.

"Are you sure? Because you look strange." His furry friend was commenting, breaking free from his arms and hovering on his side.

Gray let his arms fall to his sides and looked to the polished floor, pausing. A heavy sigh escaped his lips and he raked a hand through his spiky black hair.

Did he have a reason to lie anymore? Should he lie to himself? He had always made a point of not doing that but, it had been too long. And he felt that he had no right to bear hopes to an end in this whole-

'Gray, get a hold of yourself. It's not a reason for you to get hopeful. If you're wrong the others are going to suffer even more. And I'm guilty enough of having put them through all of this…' a pained grimace fluttered across his face and his shoulders slumped.

"Where are you going?" Happy asked, behind him.

"I'll be heading to my room. I need to think of some things. I don't want to be disturbed for the time being, okay?" the dark haired one lifted his eyes to his friend, waiting for an answer.

The blue cat lowered his head, sadly and replied, "Yes Gray…"

Without another word he climbed the stairs and entered the long corridor that headed to his set of rooms. Mindless of the darkness and dust that coated the walls, curtains, furniture and floor he opened the door and was greeted by the cold darkness – as usual.

The room was quite simple, without much furniture but the one he had was made of sturdy dark wood. The bed had a faded blue cover on top, matching the sofa that lay on the wall between the two large windows. They were all so familiar by now that he didn't even acknowledge his surroundings. His feet led him to the desk where he sat, distracted.

Should he dare to hope? Could it really be the end? And after so long.

A weary sigh escaped his lips and he pressed both heels of his hands to his eyes. With an enraged growl his closed fists hit the desk, a small cloud of dust erupting. Standing up suddenly the young man had the chair falling down behind him as he strode to the adjoining bathroom.

He leaned on the sink, hands gripping the cold vanity while he stared into his reflection, noticing the hopeful signs that were already blossoming there.

'Don't. Don't think that.' His eyes descended to the reflection of his torso, where it was sparkling slightly in the dim light. He returned to the room, pausing in front of the closet, looking for something to dress because– he saw another reflection and, in the pale blue light of the room, he saw the mark materialize, marking and tainting him.

Here lay the mark that would always make him blame himself, the center of his guilt. The proof of his failure – the mark of the igmorfus.

Disgustedly, his eyes focused on the part of his body he loathed the most, the strange tattoo embedded on his skin. It ran deeply, under his skin but the surface was glossy and the thick lines shimmered every now and then, making Gray feel weak – even after all this time. He let his finger run over the smooth dark blue lines on his breast, repeatedly, a mix of rage and despair brewing inside him. The stark contrast of the blue against his pale skin was the same of the coal against the pure whiteness of recently fallen snow. It drew the attention way too much.

The soft pad of his finger running over the lines was replaced by the tip of his nail in no time, scratching his skin deep enough to draw blood. The other nails didn't take long to it, scratching and trying to erase that evidence from his body.

He should be feeling pain – something! – but nothing came. A sense of emptiness overwhelmed him.

Gray was looking so intently at what he was doing, drowning in an inner storm of guilt and sorrow that he only heard the door when it closed loudly.

The dark haired lifted his head and squared his shoulders, hand plucking the first shirt he could grab and throwing it hurriedly over his head. He turned, mouth forming harsh words instantly.

"I thought I had said not to be bother…ed." His mouth closed with an audible click.

Before him was Natsu, looking at him suspiciously.

"I need some answers and you're the one that's going to give them to me." He demanded.

"What do you want?" Gray's voice came a little shaken, tired.

* * *

><p>After introducing themselves, the others had begun drinking and chatting about things that, to Natsu, didn't make sense. He wasn't the center of attention anymore, even if the pink haired youth had the impression that the spotlight would turn to him in no time. He better sort his ideas quickly, then.<p>

The subtle song of the crackle coming from the grate called him, once again. This fire appeared to be like normal fire – like the one he had seen moments before at the manor – but it was cold, almost as if muffled by something. This wasn't normal fire, of that Natsu was sure.

Putting this matter to the side he thoughts sped up, running over the information he had just gotten.

'Alright, time to do the point of the situation," his right hand curled around the mug in front of him, that remained untouched. A sweet, spicy scent hit his nostrils. The drink seemed appetizing, yet he couldn't lift the mug to his lips, his arm felt leaden. 'I'm in the middle of nowhere surrounded by cursed people – who, at least aren't attacking me. I don't imagine how I could fend them off now, my magic… - and they're all expecting me to lift said curse. No Guild has ever managed to help them, heck, they probably don't even know of them. But I thought that there was a department for that in the Pearl Ministry after the Necrodorent incident…' a frown creased his brow. 'How in the world were they missed? Okay, they've been here, _frozen_, for a long while but even so, there must have been a sign… but, wait. They said something about igmorfus. They could be the reason. But, igmorfus wouldn't stay in here for so long. The disgraces would hit the land after a short while and they need to have new targets. I don't know of any… Oh Igneel, why aren't you here? You would find the connections in this in no time…' Natsu looked at the wooden ceiling, wistfully, waiting for something that was far away.

'Okay, better not to start moping here. Besides, I can't let my guard down, something might escape and I wonder what the outcome would be. I doubt that they would be happy when the tavern came down in flames…' His eyes widened when a sudden thought hit him. 'What the hell happened to my parents. They were in the room. The threads must've caught them, what-?'

"Wendy," all the eyes in the table turned to him. The tiny girl smiled shyly and cocked her head, inquisitively. "How does that water curse work? I mean, what does it do? My parents- my parents were caught by it, probably…"

She gave him an understanding look and cleared her throat, "The tendrils will cover the targets and surround them until they're completely immobilized or inside a sort of cocoon. This magic is more effective in the range of magic opposite to the water element, from which the fire element is part of. I'm sorry…"

"No, that's alright," the fire mage shook his head, staring at the tabletop for some instants. "And to get rid of it…?"

"You'll need to either have a mage of any element connected to the water – if the sort was a weak one – or make the mage that did it withdraw the curse or, as a last resort, kill the mage. But that's for the more serious cases…" Levi quickly added, face serious.

"How can we know what sort of curse that was? The intensity?"

"Only being there, in contact with the victims…" Levi concluded.

"Ah, great!" Natsu growled and pushed his chair back, stomping out the door, mindless of the scene he was creating. As the night air hit his warm face, he stopped. Frustration was building and this thing that, at first, seemed to be weird and saving him from a terrible fate was now throwing him into a place that was getting more and more real as time went by. These things the girls were saying weren't good news. His parents weren't good parents but they shouldn't have to go in such a stupid way. They had always told him that their deaths would be in their missions. It was just ridiculous that something like this would be their end. No. Natsu had to go back. And fast.

However, there was something here that seemed to be calling him. And he was curious too.

How was it possible that he – Natsu Dragneel – had come in an adventure like this? Just a few days ago that fat, horrible man with a skunk face had sneered at him and told him that he wouldn't go anywhere as long as he didn't go through the right (and by that he meant corrupt) procedures. And when he tried to go through the right channels over that man everything had backfired. Going to the admission tests in a rush and with the jury against him was just another way of never entering the Hunters Guild. But the worst part had been the final duel. Weird magic had been there and when his own magic flared Natsu lost control of it… Well, he hadn't been expelled from the Guild permanently just because his parents were some of the most prominent mages there.

And now it also seemed that this… Ice Court… or whatever these people called themselves, was waiting for him to break the curse.

Him – a not fully credited hunter – break a curse! Did that make any sense?

Moreso, a curse that an igmorfus had cast. That ought to be good. The fire mage caught himself shaking his head. If he were to help this people, at least, he needed clear information.

"There you are," Natsu turned to see Lucy a couple of steps behind him. "I thought you had started walking. It's not… I wouldn't advise you to walk here around alone. There are things that sometimes lurk in the darkness."

"I need to talk to Gray," he was standing in front of the blonde, an intense expression on his face. "I think that he'll have to answer my questions."

A disbelieving noise met his tirade.

"What?" the fire mage's eyebrow arched.

"Nothing. I just… good luck with that. Gray isn't exactly a talkative person. But I'll take you to him. Just let me tell the others-"

"No, there's no use in that. Just tell me where he might be and I'll find a way…"

Lucy straightened and lifted her chin. "Didn't you just tell you that it isn't safe for you to wander around the town by yourself? Fine. I'll take you to him right away." That said, she grabbed his arm and started dragging him towards the big, glowing manor at the end of the main street, her skirt snapping loudly behind them.

"Heeh, okay, no need to be so forceful."

In no time they got to the heavy doors. Without preamble she opened them and stopped, making Natsu walk into her back.

"Hey, why did you stop?"

"Shh, this isn't… wait a sec, Happy's there. Hey Happy!"

The cat jumped from somewhere high and headed to them, hovering in front of them.

"Hey Lucy. What are you doing here?" he eyed Natsu with some curiosity.

"He wants to speak to Gray. As soon possible…" the blonde explained.

"But Gray doesn't want to see anyone. He went to his rooms and doesn't want to be disturbed…" the poor cat said.

"I need to talk to him. It's very important…" Natsu said, with a pleading tone in his voice.

"I don't…"

The young mage struggled to say something but then, "Please, I really need to talk to him."

Happy looked at him, weighting his options, "He's in the Eastern Halls, it's the second to last door when you go through that corridor," he pointed to the right direction, "then you go left, right, left. And then it's the door."

A hand rested on the cat's head and scratched him between the ears for a few instants, enough for the cat to close his eyes and turn his head into a better position to be scratched.

A quick thanks was muttered.

Afterwards Natsu was climbing the stairs and running through the corridors towards the door. He didn't have time to appreciate the surroundings but, in the back of his mind, he noticed the posh, if dusty, furniture.

Finally, he got to the door and paused for a couple of seconds to compose himself. It wouldn't do if he went there looking weak.

Natsu turned the doorknob silently and slipped inside. While closing the door, it was unexpectedly noisy. The fire mage gulped when he put his eyes on Gray's back. His eyes widened, surprised, at the number of scars that marred his porcelain white skin. But he was brought back from that contemplation as the other put a shirt on and uttered harsh words.

"I thought I had said not to be bother…ed." His mouth closed quickly in a thin line, while he looked taken aback.

Natsu arched an eyebrow and stared at him, building up the words that he wanted to say.

"I need some answers and you're the one that's going to give them to me." Well, this was one way to put it, even if he looked a bit forceful.

Before him, Gray seemed to age, eyes becoming hollow and shoulders slumping imperceptibly. "What do you want?"

"I want to know what's happening. Why am I here and what do you expect me to do. Is it true that an igmorfus," with some amazement the fire mage noticed the other's near shudder at the word, "did this to you?"

The other opened and closed his mouth, battling with himself, seemingly. "You don't have anything to do with it." He denied.

"I don't think so. Neither do your friends. What is going on in here? What is being frozen?" Natsu took some steps forward, menacingly.

"What do you want to know? That I tell you how I was stupid and did the right thing, wasn't corrupt? And then landed here?" the dark haired one's temper flared and he also walked forward, hands balled on his sides. "Do you want to know about the curse itself? How she… her pleased tone at telling me what was happening and that I would be like this forever while I agonized at her feet? While I bled out and she laughed? How she even had the gall to drink my own blood in a crystal glass before my own eyes? What?" he pushed Natsu, who was standing just that bit _too_ close, away.

Natsu was momentarily unbalanced but caught himself and regained his previous position.

"How could I know that? If you don't remember I haven't been here for long. And no-one could give me details about anything. They're either too scared of you or pity you or something! And they seem to think that me being here means something, as if I were the cure." Natsu's voice started rising.

"How so?" Gray had a slightly twisted expression.

"Apparently the fact that I'm a fire mage and got here means something."

"Bullshit." Gray shook his head. "It's not that easy." The fight seemed to drain from him, leaving a person that was tired to an unimaginable extent. "What did you think this was? Some sort of fairy tale? A kiss from the prince wakes the princess and everybody lives happily ever after?" he let out a bitter laugh.

"I didn't but-" Natsu cut himself short when he saw the other lift his shirt.

"This! This says that I don't have the right to have hope. The symbol of my guilt and my punishment," before Natsu's eyes a symbol that he only had found in the books Igneel had made him read time and time again appeared, dark and ugly in the pale skin – that also bore some nasty scars in the front.

"This is why I won't believe in anything," Gray's voice had a resigned undertone.

"You can't give up." Natsu objected, eyebrows arching. "There must be a way. The fact that I got here _has_ to mean something."

"I don't know…" was the whisper of an answer.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Happy New Year and - another chapter, yay! I apologize for taking so long to update, I meant to update yesterday but, let's say that I overindulged in the champagne xD

And this chapter wasn't coming, plain and simple. This was the hardest so far, that's why it probably isn't all that great. *sigh*

Let's hope that the next ones are easier… *crosses fingers*

Anyway, thank you to everybody who reviewed, you decidedly made me want to finish this asap and made me start the year quite happy. ^^

But I wanted to dedicate this chapter to K, La Rondine and Shiny Pichu-chan (happy birthday! 3). Girls, you all are absolutely awesome! ^^

Reviews and feedback would definitely make a good start for the year.

(oh yeah, updating in the wee hours also makes me give a lot of dumb mistakes and this isn't beta-ed yet so, I apologize for those…. ;D)


	5. How to end the curse

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.

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><p>Chapter Five – How to end the curse<p>

Natsu's reaction was instinctive. He grabbed the other's shoulders and gave a small shake.

"You can't give up!"

He didn't have a reaction. The other seemed to finally having let the ice reach into all parts of his being, eyes unseeing and body pliant to the fire mage's actions.

"Look," he tried to reason with Gray. "I've also been through some shit – really bad things – that impeached me from something that I wanted more than anything. But I'm not going to give up. There is hope as long as there is life…"

"You call this life?" was the dark haired's deadpan question.

"You're moving and breading, thinking and speaking. Why shouldn't that be life? But that's not my point." The fire mage led them to sit on the couch, turning to the other and looking at him, seriously. He saw the other man shaking his head and a ghost of a smile making his lips twitch. Good, he was taking that icy wall down, even if one minimal amount at a time.

"Seriously, you must remain hopeful. A wise person once told me that hope is the last thing to die. As we already decided what life is, we don't need to discuss death, I hope…" he grinned for some instants - even though while he was saying these words something twisted inside him.

'Ahh, Natsu… you can be such a hypocrite sometimes…' fluttered through the pink haired youth's mind. He let out a sigh.

"You really can't let your hopes fade. Don't forget that there are many that are counting on you, though I can't exactly understand why…" he paused, pressing his lips in a thin line, looking towards the door. "Would you explain me why?" he finally asked in a neutral tone.

Gray, who was sitting ramrod straight, seemed to stiffen even further.

"I don't…" Gray closed his mouth and closed his hands until the knuckles were white. Long minutes ticked by and he didn't do anything.

Natsu shifted nervously. He was about to say something when Gray's body slumped to the back of the couch, as if the string that had been pulling his body taut had snapped.

"I… I apologize for my outburst. You shouldn't have entered my room like that," he paused to give Natsu a meaningful glance before continuing, "but you do have a point. I should tell you about this situation I'm in – and the others too." Gray curled himself over that side of the couch. Natsu noticed that he was staring straight ahead yet he seemed not to be apprehending anything about his surroundings, heading into the field of memories. "You see, I used to be an ice mage. Where I come from there was this place, it was a town called Oledo, that was the centre of all things related to magic. It was near the royal city, Pearl de Lys, so we were used as a sort of back-up for the military force and we were the population's protection against the increasing number of magic-related cases that started happening." Gray looked at Natsu when he heard the muffled sound he did. The other did a hand sign for him to continue. "All the mages from the various elements and kinds were there. It was our headquarters, had everything. The huge library served to deepen the knowledge and scribes wrote down important treaties and compiled the information of the magical disturbances into huge tomes. This town was also very important because every person that showed any magical aptitude would go there to learn with one master. There weren't nearly any ice mages, I only met two. My master and a fellow student." Gray's hands came to rest on his knees and he leaned his head forward, shadows hiding his face. After a while he continued. "My master was Ur, she was amazing, even if some didn't like her because of her unconventional teaching method," a smirk tinted his voice as he said those words. "And I made a friend there too, Lyon. He was Ur's other student. We weren't friends right from the start - both had to prove ourselves before being friends. Those first years passed so fast and were amazing. I learned immensely and before I knew it, I was walking through the kingdom, dealing with magical problems and, I had some cases where I had to fight alongside the military. From the start there was some friction between the magical and military classes." He paused and shrugged. "Anyway, I did have my fair share of 'encounters' with haywire magic. And, as we were only a handful of ice mages, we were required to classified jobs, which in turn made me earn a lot of golden florins."

"So, you were like the Hunters, who now roam the kingdom in search of the evil magical creatures and phenomena." Natsu interjected, amazed. "I heard that the Magical Core of Colimbrus, that was in that town you referred, later became the Lattice of Guilds – that's the actual system, at least. You're really _that_ old!" At those words Gray frowned slightly, before letting his legs fall and crossed them, hands coming to rest on the place where they met.

"I'm not that old. I'm twenty-one."

"Maybe then," Natsu continued, teasing the other, "but now-"

"Do you want me to continue this or what? Because if you're going to be making fun I'll just throw you out and let the Shadow do it's job!" argued Gray.

"Okay, sorry. That was out of line…" Natsu agreed, sheepishly.

"Alright, as I was saying, being of my age and with the life I had, it didn't take long before I had a house and was settling down in a small town called Magnolia. You've already met some of those townspeople. Most of the Ice Court is composed by people that lived in Magnolia – there are some cases, like Gajeel, that weren't but that's not important." He did a dismissive gesture with his left hand before letting it go back to its previous spot. "Soon I was living there, taking some time off but still in contact with Lyon. One of his last missives warned me towards a strange magic heading towards me. I was alert yet, leading my regular life there…" Gray leaned forward and took a deep breath. "One day, some time later, I got a signal that something was close to the town. I went to investigate and, in the woods, I met _her_. She was a regular woman, dressed in adventurer clothes even, however as I could feel something around her, I told her to stay back. She did and was quite polite, asking about the jurisdiction and usual adventurer stuff. I started second-guessing myself. After all, from all my previous encounters with magical beings, they've been extremely proud of their laws and we were always lowly creatures that tried to impose our own laws."

"They're still like that. Just because we don't have six arms it doesn't mean that we aren't strong." Natsu added, leaning back on his side of the couch.

"Despite the call of magic, they've always considered that they were the owners of everything." Gray continued, a hand coming to push his hair back, distractedly.

"Some things don't change, apparently." The fire mage added.

"Oh, it's still like that?" the dark haired youth was slightly surprised. Then he continued. "Anyway, I was talking to her, waiting for the creature that was probably going to come, maybe she was being controlled by something. I don't know what I was thinking but, in a fraction of second my focus shifted and before I knew it she was running towards me. That's when I understood which creature she was. One that I had never met before – she was an igmorfus." Gray paused and looked at Natsu. "Do you know what an igmorfus is?"

Natsu gulped and nodded, remembering the time he had been asked that same question, months before.

"I do… The-the _Hunter's Elucidrer_ defines the igmorfus as creatures of type five, they're extremely similar to us, humans. They've been nearly extinct for the past centuries as they've been hunted preferably because of their side effect. Structurally they're mostly like us, except that they have a stronger body, fit for receiving impacts of creatures such as a rhinucher(1). One of the distinguishing characteristics is that they have two faces. Their real face has prominent eyes, inexistence of lips in the mouth and where the nose is minimal; their hands elongate and their nails become talons. However, to mix with the rest of the population they use their other face, which allows them to have a face like ours. This process is quite painful as it implies the bones on their skull to readjust and the skin to be pulled, though small filaments of magic run through key points and allows things to happen faster. They call it the _facerum soldu_. They feed on elemental mages, by draining their magic and blood in such a way that the victim becomes dust. That's why it is said that they bring bad luck, as Nature all around them is drained and, it has been noticed, that unfortunate events happen in every place they've been and where they've fed." After reciting this, Natsu's eyes widened. "Wait a minute! You were going to be an igmorfus' dinner?"

Gray threw a pained smile at him and shook his head, "No. And you forgot their lack of aptitude towards most magic, generally."

"Ah, right. Still forgot that one."

"Right, well, she threw me against the bark of a spinuza tree and I was stuck there, managed to gasp once before she was pushing against me, her arm crushing my neck. She was still mostly human but her huge, endless eyes were boring into mine. Before I knew it she was saying…" he paused for an instant, "... she was saying that I had something rare and that she wanted to use. Her plan was to use me until she got pregnant. She did say something about a big plan and something about destroying our world and threatened me about what she would do if I didn't comply. Guess what I did…"

"You didn't go with it…"

"No, I didn't. I couldn't-! She also said more things but I preferred to create an ice block around my bottom half than let her go with it. Which I did… and she wouldn't get anything anyway… I mean, she went crazy with rage. She attacked me, nearly ripped my torso to shreds, pinned me to the tree with some weird threads and watched me weaken and then, she started saying those horrendous, dark words. They bound me, surrounded me and entered me. When she finished her litany she began describing what was happening and the more the curse weighted on me the more the threads binding me weakened. I fell to the ground, at her feet and she laughed. A chilling sound. And as I suffered wave after agonizing wave of pain she started drinking my blood, offhandedly dismayed for not being able to use such a strong vessel. And the pain… so much pain…" Gray shook his head, as if in a trance, "it was mind numbing yet I couldn't help but hear her words over and over again. The next thing I know, I was dragging myself through Magnolia, heading to my house. I had to send a message or something but I didn't reach it. I only got to the main plaza before the light struck." Gray got up and started pacing. "When I woke up again, it was here, and there was a grey light as if the sky were perpetually clouded. Blinding pain made me curl up on myself and when it eased a bit I noticed the mark. My torso only had scars too, in the place where blood was running freely before. I was dismayed to notice that nearly everybody from the town was here with me, noticed the changes in them and…" the dark haired youth sighed, "and they were here, because of me – I had ruined their lives and, slowly, we noticed that strange things were happening around me." He laughed humourlessly. "At some point they started calling themselves the Ice Court, because of our stationary state and I, apparently, was elected as their ruler. But in the end, the fault is still mine and I need to find some way to get them to normal."

"How about you?"

"If I could trade my life for theirs, I would." He answered, vehemently.

"But we'll try to see of a way for it not to go there, okay?" Natsu said, desperately trying to ease the atmosphere. He could relate to some of those feelings.

"And you, Natsu? What do you do?" Gray sat down, once again, one leg under his body and angling himself towards the other.

"Me? Ah, you don't want to know about me, I don't have a story nearly as interesting as yours…" the fire mage looked away and scratched his cheek, distractedly.

"If I asked, it's because I want to know." Gray quickly retorted.

Natsu sat there, his mouth open in a reply that didn't come until, he caved in. "Right. Okay, well, first of all, my parents are hunters – renowned hunters. And they're part of one of the Guilds that has been growing in the last few years, much thanks to my parents. Since I was little I was raised to be what they wanted me to be. Choose this or do that. They planned it and let me to comply. I was left at home while they went on their hunts, they got me a tutor – his name is Igneel and he's more of a father figure and feels more like family that my own parents. It is true that I also want to become a hunter, but by my own means. I want to enter a Guild where they don't have any connection and find my own path, become someone as important as them and have the chance to rub it in their faces. However, this is easier said than done." He let out a frustrated sigh. "My parents are extremely controlling people and they want me to be like whatever they imagined that I should be like and I have to meet those expectations, or… troubles will ensue." Natsu's left hand came to rub at his eyes while he tried to continue his story, "There were these admission tests, at their Guild and they made me go. I heard Igneel talking to them proposing that I should do the tests in another Guild but they didn't even care about what he was saying. You see, the Salamander lineage arises much envy and the other mages think we think of ourselves as outstanding or something like that – and for the most it is true – but some of us don't. I don't think of myself as outstanding or anything. I am strong, stronger than the majority of the mages but it doesn't mean that they aren't strong. I don't understand how they have that inferiority complex." He shrugged. "So when I first got to the guild they made me go through the usual procedures – bureaucracy – and took me to a room. They defied me and did some things that are forbidden by the Guild's rules and then dumped the blame on me. Because of that I entered the main admission's room with everybody against me. They flunked me and started saying things that weren't to my liking. And there's one thing I must tell you about me, I'm not all that patient. They irritated me in such a manner that I snapped. And so did my hold on my powers. I brought chaos to that Guild and when my parents got there and saw that…" he exhaled, "it wasn't pretty. Afterwards they wanted to get rid of Igneel and had to do something about my situation, to save face. They found this arranged marriage." It was now Natsu's turn to let his body slump back. "I found a loophole for them not to get rid of Igneel that way, so that he's still being paid, and this pissed them to no end. I had to promise not to try to do anything else so that Igneel was still safe, however that left me right where they wanted me." Natsu turned so that he was facing straight towards Gray. "This marriage will serve to cement their status as the family of the girl I am to marry has a lot of connections to the throne. There are a lot of political things going on in there but it means that my family will get a better position and that's something that my parents always yearned for."

"Your life's not such an easy one either."

"Well, no. And it's not getting easier. Those threads from before… they were a curse, right? And now my parents are captive to it."

"The others told you about that." Gray nodded, in understanding.

"They did. And that I should be thankful of you saving me and bringing me here. They want me to break the curse."

"Huh? Why do they want _you_ specifically?" Gray frowned.

"They said that just by the fact of being _here_ I was already changing things. Not to mention that I am a fire mage and that you reacted a bit over the top about the Salamander lineage… Is there something else, from that…?"

"The Salamander… there was a person from that family that once came here… once…" muttered the dark haired one.

"I see. But Lucy said something about the fire."

Rolling his eyes, Gray also turned so that he was facing Natsu, a small smile on his face. "That can't mean anything. What I told you before about the fairy tales is true, okay? I think that my situation isn't anything as simply solved." His chin rested on the palm of his hand, the other hand toying with a loose thread on the couch.

Natsu grabbed the hand and held it, still. He was looking at the contrast of their skins, eyes downcast and a thoughtful expression on his face. Wetting his lips, he looked up.

"That doesn't have to mean a thing. There must be a solution. We're going to find it." The pink haired mage said, confidently.

"There's one person we can try. I've already asked him but he said he didn't know. Maybe now…" Gray hesitated.

"Then what are we doing here?" Natsu got up with a jump, arm stretching to pull Gray up. "Huh, where are we going, exactly?" he asked sheepishly.

"To the garden, come." Gray was pulling the fire mage to the balcony, holding his hand. With a pull they jumped and landed in a lush, colourful garden, from where a sweet scent emanated. In the corner, a fountain made of black stone had silvery water flowing, wet sounds filling the silence.

"This way. We need to see the Elder." Gray led them to the labyrinth.

Natsu just followed, holding the other with a firm grip. After some time, he tightened his hold, making Gray stop. The dark-haired youth looked at him, inquiringly.

"I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have-" he was silenced as fingers pressed against his lips.

"There's no need for that. Come, we're here."

And they were. After a couple of steps, they got to a dark tower that seemed to twist agonizingly over itself. Gray opened the door, making it creak. They climbed the stairs until they got to the huge room – which was overflowing with books. In the middle, a small, thin (he was nearly skeletal) man sat, reading a book.

"Ah, Gray. You're here."

"Hello, Elder." Then turning to Natsu, Gray said. "Natsu, this is Makarov, our Elder…"

"Ah yes, you brought the fire mage with you…" the old man nodded, adjusting his glasses which were perched on his nose.

"Erm, yes, I'm Natsu Dragneel and-"

"Come on, boy, there's no need for such formality. I know who you are and what you want."

Gray blinked. That was fast… and… there was something strange – different – here on the tower.

"The way to lift the curse..." Makarov looked at Gray's surprised face. "Yes, last time I told you I didn't know it but, there is one way…"

"What is it?" Natsu asked, instantly.

"Calm down, young one. The igmorfus' curse will not be easy to lift. First of all, you need to find what's keeping it here. What is the anchor? Usually it would be another igmorfus but they are always changing homes, never staying in the same place for long, yet, we're here for a long time now… this curse has a curious characteristic. The hold of it can be passed from igmorfus to another igmorfus or to an object, it's as simple as that. If you find the anchor and destroy it, you'll end the curse."

"And couldn't you have told me that before?" Gray asked, disbelieving.

"No, because you didn't have the necessary tools and weren't mature enough." The old man closed the book distractedly. "Only now are you able to do it."

Natsu's hand clapped on Gray's left shoulder, making the latter look at the other.

"See? I told you we could do it." The fire mage grinned.

"Yes… together we can do it…" Gray replied, a tiny smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

* * *

><p>(1) creature that is similar to a rhinoceros, except that it has a line of spikes all over its back and is usually of an orangereddish-brown colour. They can be very ferocious.

**A/N:** Another chapter! They've been coming slower (stupid real life!) but hopefully they're still interesting. ^^

Damn, the chapters are growing. O.o I did not envision this... The story was going to be a small, quick one and is growing like an hydra... Damn you bunnies! *shakes fist menacingly* But the next chapters are going to be smaller, I'm sorry - but I also have exams to study to. ^^'

On to the chapter... Okay, here was the talk. The boys finally talked and I hope it wasn't boring. There was some OoC-ness (I'm sooooo sorry for that! TT^TT) in the boys but I'll fix it in the rewrite, if I ever do it. Or at least when the beta reads this. She's going to kick my ass for what I did to them, I'm sure of it… xD

Now, as usual, I really wanted to thank to the reviewers. Reading your kind words make me happy in a way I couldn't explain, even if I tried. So I need to give a huge thank you to Mariel of Fantasy (your questions make me keep going, I hope the explanation was clear and interesting) and to kunf'you'z-ed (I know that not all of your questions have been answered yet but they will, rest assured ^^). As usual, K, hope you're enjoying the story. Get some sleep girl. ;D

This is unbeta-ed and probably made your eyes bleed. And I'm so sorry for that…

As usual, any words from the readers are awesome.

Oh yeah, I also wanted to reply to some anonymous comments from the previous chapters. (I apologize, but I haven't replied to you before because I'm usually a bit half-asleep but it is rude on my part.)

fairytopia – I hope the story's been interesting enough. ^^

jam – I'm glad you're liking the story so far, I hope that these last few chapters have elucidated you a little. :D


	6. Going back and the igmorfus' trap

Disclaimer: Guess what, not mine.

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><p>Chapter Six – Going back and the igmorfus' trap<p>

"Okay, first things first. I need to go back." Natsu was saying, while pacing the small hall before Makarov's great room, Gray was leaning against the wall watching him. The fire mage paused and looked at Gray, a contrite expression fluttering to his lips. "I mean, we need to go. Where do you think we'll find that anchor?"

"I don't know. It has to be nearby. You heard the Elder. If we're stuck here is because of it." The dark haired one crossed his arms and looked ahead, through a small window and to the immense darkness that lay on the outside. "It has to be… What's there beyond the forest?"

Natsu looked a little puzzled. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"The forest," Gray was gesturing absentmindedly. "There has to be something beyond it. We don't… didn't go outside. I mean, I didn't…" he ended his tirade in a mutter, looking at the floor.

"Ah, right. Well, I've only seen the road. There's a village – but it is a bit distant from the forest and near-" his eyes widened in realization. "-near the forest, right on its shore, there's a huge estate. It's of my," Natsu's face scrunched up in a grimace and he choked a little, "-my fiancée's parents." The fire mage shook his head. "But it was… I mean, they probably are just water mages… even if I did feel something strange at their manor…"

"Oh right, of the water threads. But don't you think that might be a plausible place to start?" the dark haired one wondered.

"Maybe… besides, I would have to go there anyway. My parents are there." Replied the pink haired mage.

"I'll go with you. Maybe in that manor we might find some clue as to where the anchor is."

"Or what it might be. We can't forget that." Natsu sighed and scratched his forehead. "I just want to know how we'll be able to identify it…"

"Yeah. We need to find a way for-" a voice cut him off.

"Gray."

Both youths turned and entered the room once again.

"What did you want, Elder?" Gray's skin had never been so pale, in the whole time Natsu had seen him, looking seriously at the thin figure.

"You possess what'll help you to find the anchor. " A skeletal hand rose to point to his chest.

Gray looked down, surprised, one hand coming up absentmindedly to rest over the mark.

"Do you mean…? It's not possible…" he shook his head.

"When you get close to the anchor you'll feel it. When you dispose of it, that symbol shall disappear."

Gray clenched his teeth and bit out. "What? It's going to start glowing or something?" the other youth could see that the other was growing agitated.

"It will come to you in the same way that you were once marked." The Elder replied.

"What do you mean with that? He doesn't have the other person to…" the fire mage interjected, being silenced by Gray.

"Pain. It's going to hurt when we get near it." The dark haired youth closed his mouth tightly.

"And when the curse is lifted. The dark heaviness will probably be too much for your body to take."

'Great,' thought Natsu, 'not only he has to bear all that guilt but he's also going to have to suffer more for it to be lifted. Without his notice he had one hand on Gray's shoulder.

"Don't worry Gray. I'll be there to help you."

Gray nodded but his eyes seemed to be looking at him gratefully, expressing more than Natsu could comprehend.

"Come, we have to start getting ready."

As they were leaving the tower they could hear Makarov's last words.

_Be careful for there are unknown dangers lurking. Beware, both of you._

* * *

><p>"What do you mean by 'you're going outside'?" Lucy placed her hands in her hips, her voice hinting at some incredulity. "You said you weren't going back out there for- Wait! Where are you going, again?"<p>

Gray looked uncomfortable, backing off slightly and looking at Natsu, asking for some help. The fire mage just seemed to be trying to blend with the wall, staring at the bunch of menacing people – well, the girls were a bit ticked so they were _very_ dangerous – that were in the room.

"I didn't say where I was going to go…" he rolled his eyes, embarrassed. "But you don't have anything to do with-"

"We most certainly do." Erza's voice cut through his tirade, the same way that a hot knife would cut through butter. "It's abnormal for you to leave after so little. And, since you're going with Natsu it can only mean one thing-"

"-you're going to find the way to lift the curse." A number of voices said, at the same time.

"Okay, okay," Gray lifted his hands, in surrender. "Yes, I am going with Natsu in search of the thing to lift the curse and-"

"Then we're going with you," said Gajeel, a dangerous smile setting on his lips.

"Yes, we are. We also want to help."

Chaos settled on the room, as everybody wanted to help.

"Whoa, calm down – you what?" Gray looked, perplexed, at his friends.

"We're going with you, of course." Said a bright-eyed Wendy.

"But you… there's no… you don't need to…"

"Ahah, don't argue, Gray!" Kana clapped him on the back with such force that he nearly fell. "We're going with you and that's final. Just play along."

Laughs echoed on the room. A good mood had settled overall.

"Wait!" Natsu yelled, making everything freeze to a stop. "We're not going to go there if you're like that."

"What did you think, boy?" Erza asked, wearing a dangerous-looking armour. Strangely, all around her people seemed to be equipping, somehow.

"Huh, nothing, nothing." Before he calmly went to Gray's side. "They seem quite eager to go, don't you think…?" was half-whispered to the other.

Gray's mouth twitched upwards, "Wouldn't you be, had you been stuck here in what feels like forever?"

"Point taken…"

So, they stood in the middle of the room, answering to some questions and saw the organized chaos that settled in.

* * *

><p>"Alright, how do we go, now?"<p>

They were all standing on the long, dim main road. Gray was at the front, looking towards the nothingness.

"Now, we walk."

The whole column started heading towards the darkness that lay at the end of the road. Natsu slowed a bit but Gray's hand coming back to catch his soon had him walking beside Gray.

Together they advanced into the nothing and, in no time, Natsu recognized the grey tunnel, filled with a void and crippling coldness that met them. Beside him, Gray was walking normally, not bothered by the cutting waves of cold that crashed against the fire mage. He staggered, slightly but that strong hand remained there, like a pillar, kept him from falling. His magic burst into action, after what seemed like a lifelong day, and filled his body into overflowing with hot, happy flames, ready to erupt. This time it was stronger than the cold from the outside and he kept the pace with Gray without nearly a hitch.

A sudden flash and darkness engulfed them, rushing through them like claws and a searing hot-cold feeling ran through Natsu's spine before he found himself in a familiar place.

It was the clearing where he had stumbled upon Gray. And it even was black from the unexpected fire.

There was some ruckus behind them and the rest of the gang had just arrived and was looking dazedly at the dark green, beaded with raindrops that surrounded the clearing.

"We're here. Natsu, take us to the place." Gray said. A cheer erupted from somewhere in the crowd and soon, most of them were cheering.

Natsu tried to find the path from which he had come from, and soon enough had found it. They started heading to the Lockser estate. Coming to a halt right at the boarder between forest and garden Natsu stared at the immense manor that was outlined against the dark night sky.

Silence settled and the whole column of people stood, expecting.

What was the sign to go?

The wind blew across the grass, creating little waves that beckoned them to the house. Natsu looked at Gray and, side by side they started walking towards the same glass doors Natsu had evaded in what looked like a lifetime ago.

As they entered Natsu's hairs stood on end, he could sense something in the dark (oh, how different this was from before with the whole moldy scent and dark fireplaces), and that something didn't mean good news.

"So… you returned…" a gravely voice cut the heavy silence startling him. The fire mage looked to the sides and noticed two darker blots that moved slightly. "And you found some friends." The voice continued, "How quaint…" he added, mockingly.

The room was lit by a sickly green colour and there, nonchalantly leaning against the heavy table was Mr. Lockser and – much to his surprise – so was Juvia. Her face was pale, blankly looking at them while her father looked smugly at the newcomers.

Natsu's senses were ringing – something was going to happen and any time now! – but for a long time everything stood, at the knife's edge until…

Gray gasped. A sudden flare of pain had hit him square on his chest, making his breath whoosh out of his lungs. Instinctually his right hand grabbed at his shirt, fisting the fabric and twisting it slightly. The dark haired's eyes squeezed shut and he tried to think beyond that pain. This… this pain probably meant something. His eyes opened unseeingly. 'That's it! Maybe this is the sign that the Elder had talked about… which means…' the small window of clear thought was quickly shut but the pain that clouded his mind and senses. Gray felt himself starting to wobble but was held by something – _someone_, provided a voice in the back of his mind, helpfully – and something flowed through his skin, a warmth started heating and cracking large chunks of ice that had him freezing inside. It gave him the time to steady himself and straighten himself, slowly. The pain still burst through his whole body but it was starting to be manageable, his mind clearing again.

Gray took in his surroundings once again. The pair by the table still stood there, each of them giving off different, weird and familiar vibes; on his back his companions and on his side, extending his arm so that his hand touched Gray's forearm, stood Natsu. The fire mage looked fierce, utterly focused on the pair before them, his whole posture becoming predatory and aggressive yet his hand remained on his arm, comforting and strong and Gray felt something… different…

'Maybe the others were right. He did bring some change.' He thought.

"None of that matters to you." Natsu ground out, temper rising. "Tell me where my parents are." He demanded.

The man scoffed, "As if it were going to be _that_ simple… my boy, they did say that you were a bit slow but I wasn't really expecting anything." The man straightened and took one step forwards.

Natsu growled. He was nearly on the last straw. He just wanted to jump forward and pulverize the other man but Gray was worrying him, he was breathing heavily and showing signals of pain – and that had been all of a sudden. He had only managed to hold his arm when Gray swayed. He couldn't attack and leave him defenseless.

Then, there was a deafening sound, and all the portraits on the walls opened forward and let dark, small creatures come forward. They had green skin, and ugly features. And let a chilling war cry.

That's when all hell broke loose.

Natsu let go of Gray who was held by someone and he jumped at the man, beckoning his magic and expecting it to be enhanced even further due to his fury. Though what happened was precisely the opposite. The fire came but it was weak – almost as if his magic had been muted. The punch he expected to throw at the other's face was quick and efficiently dodged by a current of water that materialized there. But! The water magic hadn't come from the man. Natsu had felt the current coming from another – he instantly locked eyes with Juvia. So that meant that he didn't have water magic and she had?

Pushing these questions to the back of his mind, Natsu focused on his so called bride. She looked at him, apathetically. Eyes staring blankly at him. Then, her mouth twitched downward slightly, as if in disgust, and in the next moment Natsu was fighting for his life against a dangerous water mage and with his powers failing.

* * *

><p>Gray had gotten himself back together after Natsu had jumped forward. Erza had caught his arm and steadied him, so he threw a grateful look at her. Quickly, his eyes turned to search for Natsu, to see him fighting the woman that was with the man. Was that his bride? Gray didn't have time to keep wondering, though, the snotty man was charging towards him and Erza. Hands extending into talons.<p>

With a disbelieving look, Gray jumped out of the way, falling near where Gajeel was creating destruction. Absently he noticed how the other looked happy.

Turning back to the matter at hand, Gray threw himself towards the man's legs, trying to unbalance him. Erza had one of her swords at hand already and was advancing menacingly towards him and thrust forward. The man wasn't phased but Gray's pain increased momentarily.

He clenched his teeth and something happened. It was a thing that he never thought he would feel again but it felt as if some icy barrier had melted and he could access to his core now…

Magic.

His ice magic was coming back. With each breath he took he could feel the familiar feeling of it coursing through his veins, lending him the power.

Before he knew it, their opponent had his legs frozen, making him stand in place. His face morphed into the appalling face of an igmorfus and he snarled at them. Then, with what looked like a huge effort, he got free of the ice on his legs.

"Thought you would get me that easily, did you?" the beast laughed at them, a gurgling sound filling the huge, chaotic room.

"I don't care about that. Tell me where the anchor is." Gray demanded coldly.

The laughter increased. The man was making so much fun of them.

"If you think that I'm going to say that – if it is what I'm thinking – then you're as stupid as that birdbrained boy. He's so unworthy…" he shook his head, an awful smirk scarring his face.

These words made Gray look back, against his better judgment, towards where Natsu had been not long ago. But it was empty. Neither he nor the woman were there. They were gone.

"Ahah. See, we were expecting you. Now, we can finally finish this off."

Gray frowned.

"What in hells are you talking about?"

"Again, you won't get answers from me. But my little army will finish you off soon and everything will be just a memory. And some prizes…" in less than a second Gray was being lifted by the creature, one hand coming to rest on his hip, the arm banding around his back and making it for him impossible to move, and the other hand came to hold his chin, biting on his skin. "… some prizes are worthy to keep…" and one talon traced his jaw, slid down his neck, piercing the skin and making some blood flow.

Gray mustered all the strength he could and pushed back. A frosty wind raising around him.

"Don't you dare touching me again, you fucker. Do you hear?" he exchanged a quick look with Erza before turning and spitting. "You know what? You're mine."

The next few instants were a blur. He and Erza fought the igmorfus, alternating between attack and defense, trying to minimize it's chances to use the natural attributes.

A cold, deadly rage took over Gray and, before he could really apprehend it, there was a corpse on the floor, yellow blood seeping into the dark carpet but still being very distinguishable. Some bits of ice could be seen melting but for the most, what wasn't cut, was frozen.

He was lifting his eyes to meet his companions' when an overwhelming pain coursed through him. In the same way that his magic had ran through him, now a painful electric current was setting all of his nerves afire, leaving burning pinpricks in its stead.

Gray knelt on the floor, hand tightening over the curse mark. He curled up, such was the pain taking over his body, his forehead coming to rest on the sticky carpet. But not even the stickiness or the acrid scent of the blood managed to make Gray move. He was there, Erza hovering on his side worriedly, gasps escaping his sore throat at the same time that he tried to get his breath back.

After what felt like ages, the pain receded, Gray straightened and opened his shirt with a frustrated yell. What his saw made his eyes widen.

The mark had faded. Instead of the dark blue that he knew so well, a pale, nearly light-grey blue was on his skin. Though the edges were red, looking as if the skin had been burned.

"Gray?" Erza asked.

"It's gone… or, at least part of it…" he looked up at her, "does this mean that he was the anchor?"

"So as it seems," Erza acquiesced gravely. "But now we need to know where the rest is."

"It has to be another igmorfus, I think…" he answered wonderingly.

That was when he noticed the chaos around them. And how dumb was it that he was here with Erza talking calmly while the others were fighting and Natsu was – Natsu was missing! Gray had to find him.

"Natsu! I need to find him."

"Okay, just stay here. Let's see if we can someone to come with us, I doubt things are going to be easy while looking for him." The knight stood up and started walking, quickly getting out of sight.

One of the slimy creatures of the army decided to attack Gray who froze him without second thought. The ice mage was coming to the conclusion that it might be better to secure the room – or, at least overpower the enemies – before going in search of the ice mage.

He just hoped they would be quick as he had a bad feeling…

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><p><strong>AN:** An update, after don't know how long! I'm so sorry but I didn't have time to finish this chapter earlier. I had ¾ of it written down but with exams and shit from RL (you wouldn't imagine how shitty it is – for real) I didn't have the chance to finish before. Though now it's only another chapter and we'll be done with the story. I do hope that it has been entertaining so far. ^^ (and yeah, I know that a part of the chapter didn't flow as well as it should but let's hope for the rewrite and/or the beta's comments to improve, okay? ^^')

Anyway, hope you liked, it's late so I'll just say, I dedicate this to everyone that has reviewed.

Your comments really made my days and gave me some hope, as if there was a small light at the end of the tunnel – and that's a difficult thing for me to say at this moment!

The chapter's unbetaed and this one's really prone to some dumb mistakes. Oh well…

As usual, feedback is awesome.


	7. Battles rage and obstacles appear

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.

Warning: I'm sorry if this goes a bit to non-con grounds. I hope you don't mind. If you do, please go back. Thank you.

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><p>Chapter Seven – Battles rage and obstacles appear<p>

Natsu opened his eyes. He was being dragged (he saw the floor move underneath and felt his feet scraping the floor). To where, he had no idea but he tried to stand up and get rid of the hands that were holding his arms and pulling him. He gave a pull but nothing happened. He had no strength.

His sight and hearing were also fuzzy, his head was muddled and heavy. He heard a lot of noise – far, far away, as if he were underwater. Then shrill voices sounded; they were closer – were they from the persons dragging him? He couldn't be sure.

None of it mattered because soon after he was thrown against a wall. The fire mage impacted against it _hard_, his head snapping on the cold, pointy wall. He managed to see two dark figures hovering above him before pain raced through his mind and he lost his battle against darkness.

* * *

><p>Things in the big room were chaotic.<p>

Yellow and red blood splattered the high walls of the salon, the paintings frowning snobbishly amidst the gore. The noise was headache-inducing and the confusion was definitely settled.

Gray paused, his breathing coming out fast. He had been trying to do his part in fighting the army of creatures. They were too many but the ice mage was sure that they could get them to some balance – or even overpower them. His hands were bloodied, his left palm had a big slice from one of the katanas that the enemies wielded. He had been slightly unlucky at that moment but the enemies were just too many. His shirt was ripped all over and it only clung to his form by sheer miracle. As the ice mage tried to catch his breath he took off the (barely there) shirt and wrapped a sleeve around his hand – he had to stop the blood flow. All the while he looked out, trying to see where the red head might be. But, at least he had done his share of fight, so far. A trail of bodies were behind him, being trampled until they were a mush of orange mass. Gray tried not to think of it.

Every now and then his hand raised to where the abject mark was, a strange phantom feeling touching him.

His bad feeling hadn't disappeared yet.

Worry grew, Gray's mind was processing information lightning quick but he knew that there were some pieces of the puzzle that were still missing. And without them he couldn't get to the final conclusion. So, the man was an igmorfus, it left the wife and daughter to be the other half of the seal. But… the daughter was too young (or so he thought) and maybe the wife was the better option…

But that still didn't answer the quizzical last words of that fucker – or why they wanted Natsu.

Damned filthy creatures!

"Look out!" the dark haired youth was startled from his slight contemplation when another enemy was throwing himself at the ice mage. He quickly parried it, a wall of ice sprouting in front of him and making his enemy splat against it. Not five seconds later his head had been chopped off his shoulders, doing an ungraceful arc and falling on the floor only to disappear under the feet of quarrying sides.

As the wall of ice diminished and melted Gray looked up and saw Gajeel give a half salute. His face was splattered with the blood of their foes and his grin (which was really scary) grew slightly wider.

It didn't take long before Gray was submerged in the fight again; screams of pain coming to a crescendo now.

It seemed that slowly, ever so slowly, the smaller group was taking over the room.

At one point, Gray slipped and fell on top of something nasty, his nose wrinkling with disgust and he hurried to scramble up.

The goo clung to his body and smelt horrifyingly. The ice mage placed his hands on his torso (using what looked like a slower advance of the enemies) and froze that layer that was on top of his skin. When everything was covered he broke it and got up. Turning around he was face to face with Erza. Her brow was furrowed and it, when taken with the blood on her face, made her look menacing. But Gray could see that it was worry that was behind her facial expressions.

"Who did you find?" the words escaped his lips before he noticed.

"Lucy's coming with us." Erza took a deep gulp of air and looked back. "We're securing the periphery. So far we have south and east. It won't take long before we finish with north and I think that they can handle the ones that are left, on the west."

Gray nodded. "Alright. Hopefully this will get all to an end. But now we have to find Natsu. And whoever's caught here – because I'm afraid that there might be some hostages…" the ice mage looked around and saw Lucy's blonde head peeking from beyond Erza's shoulder.

"We have to hurry now. Let's make a break for the north side. The others can handle this now. I think that they came that way," Gray gestured to where was the small door, "so we might leave this room and go in search of the others. Come on now!"

The trio made their way through the mess until they got to the small, black and camouflaged door. It was closed on the inside by a well aimed kick managed to put it down.

* * *

><p>Natsu opened his eyes and noticed that his vision was less blurry, that he could outline things clearly. The second thing he noticed was that he was strapped to something hard and cold.<p>

This place was slightly dark, the sounds of fighting came to him, extremely muffled and nearly overcome by the sound of running water.

He couldn't move, his body tied securely and the cord having something that weakened him.

Still, Natsu tried to pull at his bindings, attempting all he could to try to get free.

It was all for naught.

The sound of footsteps coming closer to him startled the fire mage from what he was doing.

He looked up, questioningly. His muscles relaxed and he started to feel the cold of the stone seeping into his body, but mostly to his upper body that seemed to be bare.

Juvia looked at him, dark blue dead eyes bore into the pink haired mage's ones.

"So… you're awake. Who would've thought that such a powerful fire mage would be so easy to trick and defeat? More so, the one that was meant to carry the Salamander lineage is a complete weakling…" she shook her head in mock dismay, her hair moving in gentle waves. "It's…" her hand cupped Natsu's cheek. "…such a waste. You used to be so powerful. I've heard stories…" her hand started descending his body, curiously moving over his well defined muscles. "…but you must be such a disappointment. You were defeated easily. I really expected more from my fiancé…" she lifted her hand and turned to Natsu's face again, she gave him a kiss where she showed her viciousness. Natsu tried to move his face and avoid her unwelcomed kiss but she stopped him by cupping both her hands on his face so that it stayed in place. When she straightened again her words were dripping scorn. "I'm glad that you're so useless. That way I won't have any qualms in saying goodbye…" she released the fire mage's face and there was a strange metallic sound. Next she had a polished needle on her hand. She twirled it distractedly for moments.

Another voice sounded and Juvia seemed displeased. "Fine, I'll hurry." She said, before turning her attention back at Natsu. "It seems that our playtime is over. My mother wants that we do things in a certain schedule. But you're going to love this. Well, except for some parts…" as she was finishing the sentence she pressed the needle to the skin of his elbow, pinning it to the table.

Natsu gasped, at the pain that ran through him. He bit his tongue to keep the scream from erupting. It was painful. Painful in a way he had never experienced before.

He wasn't so lucky when she proceeded in the same way on the other elbow. He arched, with the pain. But before he closed his eyes, the fire mage could see that the tips of the needles had lightened and were glowing an orangish-yellow colour. Natsu clenched his teeth and threw his head back.

But Juvia was relentless, the following needles went to his hands, feet, knees and sides of his torso.

Natsu's body felt as if it was being consumed by too hot flames – not the good kind – and he couldn't take it for much longer. He tried to beckon his magic but he could feel it draining from his body.

Next thing he knew, a needle was prickling the skin of his throat. Without further ado it plunged into the taut skin, eliciting another pained noise that decreased the more the metal plunged into the flesh. In the end it was only Natsu's mouth that was open in a silent scream.

Juvia's mother appeared on Natsu's peripheral vision, she was sneering at him while Juvia worked. Then her eyes widened and she grasped the place where Natsu was laying down. She choked on her breath and coughed. Juvia stopped her ministrations and looked at her mother.

"Mother. What's wrong?" her hands stopped above Natsu's bicep.

"Your… your father. They dared to… they dared to!" her fingers elongated into talons that cut deeply into Natsu's forearm. Blood started flowing freely.

Natsu's head started spinning. He could barely hear the shrill voice that kept raging above him.

"They did the unthinkable! But they won't be laughing, oh no… We're going to teach them a lesson…" a hand clamped around Natsu's wrist and squeezed. The fire mage felt the hand starting to prickle. "Juvia, change of plans. You need to take it from the vessel as soon as possible. The disposal comes earlier than anticipated."

"But mother," he heard his fiancée say, "it takes a while before everything's ready… and he may not be able to handle it until the end…"

A slap echoed.

"You will do what I tell you to. Now, get on with it." Steps could be heard.

"Yes mother," was the low answer before talons rested underneath Natsu's collarbone, pressed against his flesh and ran down his chest, ripping it.

Natsu struggled in reaction to the pain, his mouth opening wide while he tried to gasp for breath. No air reached his lungs and the pain that made his muscles become taut and arch reached a numbing point.

Darkness engulfed him.

* * *

><p>An electric jolt ran through Gray.<p>

He paused and looked around, the girls pausing to look at him, some steps ahead.

"What is it?" asked Erza, her sword glinting with the yellow that still dripped down the blade.

"I have no idea. But maybe we're getting closer?" he answered.

"You mentioned the possibility of hostages. Why? Do you think they're here?" Lucy wondered, her hand pointing distractedly towards a row of doors to their right.

"Yeah, Natsu was here with his parents. I don't think they're igmorfus. There's a chance that they might still be alive and locked somewhere." Gray frowned and looked to the ground. "Maybe we should split up. That way we may cover up more ground…" he looked up at both girls' expectant faces. "Go with Lucy. You two might have a better-"

"No." Erza shook her head. "She can fend for herself. I think I'm going to be of better use with you."

"But…" Gray started objecting.

"I agree with Erza. Don't worry about me, if someone comes my way they're going to have to face my whip," she grabbed it confidently.

With a sigh Gray gave up, a small smile trying to flutter to his lips. "You're both just too stubborn. Okay, let's go." He turned to the end of the corridor that wasn't lit, Erza quickly going to his side. "Good luck Lucy."

"Don't worry. I hope everything goes well too…" she said, in a low voice, seeing her friends being engulfed by the darkness.

* * *

><p>A sudden jolt brought Natsu back from the depths of the darkness. He gasped out loud as his body arched up, mindless of the slippery surface beneath.<p>

When he fell back down it was cold. An immense coldness raced through him and made him shiver. Goosebumps rose on his flesh and a frigid emptiness was settling inside, so different from the comfortable furnace that was the usual. The fire mage tried to clench his fists only to feel that he only had strength to flex his fingers. When he looked up to his arm a small stream of blood started running more profusely on it. It was slightly sickening. More so because he felt his magic and strength escaping him alongside the blood.

Cold fingers slid down his side to the protruding bone of his hip, tapping distractedly on the hollow it created.

Only at that moment did Natsu realize that he was totally naked now.

The feeling of mortification crept up within him and he tried to shift slightly to a less exposing position. Of course that it was to no avail.

A small giggle came from the owner of the fingers, and Natsu looked back at Juvia. She was staring at him, a strange gleam in her eyes. Her lips moved in silent words and Natsu jerked. He didn't know how or why but his body slumped down. And then talons slid up his torso, Natsu's eyes enlarging.

'_You can't be. It's not possible that you can be one-!_' he tried to say, but no voice got stuck on his throat. The young man shook his head in disbelief. '_There are no igmorfus mages!_'

Juvia seemed to be reading his lips correctly because her lips stretched in a content smirk, two of her sharpened fingers holding Natsu's nipple, making it rise.

"Oh, it _is_ possible… Extremely difficult and only achievable after generations of experimentation but possible…" she leaned forward and murmured against his flesh, ending with a small, puffed out laugh before she straightened back. "And I can consider myself the perfect outcome… I can control the water but still have a good number of outstanding attributes." Her fingers were back to their human form so she decided to change her focus. Steps echoed in the dark room but a strange blue light started to appear beyond Natsu's feet. "What else could I expect for the continuation of this lineage but a descendant of the Salamander…" she gripped his shoulder tightly. "…the greatest controller of the fire, the legend that speaks of the ancient power…" her voice trembling with emotion as her fingers dug harder on her shoulder, "…the ultimate ruler of the Flame."

Natsu recoiled slightly. She seemed to notice this.

"Oh," she seemed a bit taken aback, "right. Mother told me that this had to be pleasurable for this to work…"

Natsu didn't like where this was going…

A strange tingle started to spread within, starting at the tips of his fingers and toes, it quickly cut through his limbs and made Natsu feel nauseous.

Then there was the sound of fabric being ripped. Juvia had just ripped her skirt to hop so that she was sitting on top of Natsu.

With a satisfied sigh she looked down, cold eyes cataloging all of his reactions. She leaned down to try to press her lips against his.

Natsu closed his eyes and bit his lower lip. He couldn't believe that this was happening. It had to be a nightmare…

'_No! I don't want this! Please…_'

* * *

><p>Gray and Erza had been running for what looked like ages in the dark maze that the basement of the building was. They had found some rooms but they were either empty or filled with disposable things.<p>

It was worrying because the ice mage's bad feeling had grown further. He didn't know how but something _really bad_ was going to happen. And he had to stop it, he could feel it on his bones.

On his side, Erza ran steadily, her immense focus kept her mind on the goal and didn't let her stray into unnecessary thoughts. Or so Gray hoped, since he couldn't help but have his mind filled with all kinds of thoughts. As they ran, he kept trying to process the information but got back to his two main worries; first where Natsu was and where might be the second half of the seal. He just had to lift this damned curse!

Their steps echoed all around them and then, they were hit by a slight breeze, the scent of moisture being more overwhelming.

"I think we should check this. The shift is bigger here…" Erza approached the simple door, sword held high. Opening it slowly, they saw that there were stairs that descended to an unknown place.

"Ready to see where this takes us?" Gray asked, a humorous tint on his voice.

"I think this is where we'll find them…" she replied in her non-nonsense tone.

"I bet you're right," Gray nodded and got onto the first downwards step. "…I'm just slightly worried about the _how_ we'll find them."

They shut up while descending the two flights of stairs. At the bottom, right before an ornate door, stood a woman. Her black hair was caught in a haughty bun and she was looking at them, a steely cold gaze.

Seeing their arrival she smiled, a slightly sadistic look entering her features.

"I see that you finally got here…" she placed her hands on her hips, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She stopped and straightened up. "Now… I would like to know who dared to kill my husband!" her hair got loose and descended down her shoulders and back, her dress snapping strongly against her legs and her hands were spread out and extremely sharp in their talon-like form.

Gray snorted. "It's not with cheap theatrics that you're going to scare us, right?" he looked at Erza, both sharing a knowing look. Time to rile the enemy up…

"You're right. We've seen so many things that this comes out as very… weak…" Erza replied, looking for all purposes as if she had placed her sword on its sheath.

Something snapped and, before then had time to register it fully, the woman was onto them.

Erza was the first one to parry the attack, steal against talons. Sparks emerged from where they connected. Gray decided to go on the side and try to catch her with his magic but the woman was more athletic than they expected and jumped, giving a somersault, her skirt fluttering all around her. She was smirking.

"My, my. That's a lot of talk… but I'll give you a lesson. You _don't_ do this to _us_!" she looked furious, her hair a halo around her, one hand spreading out in front of her. "You will _pay_."

She started moving almost too fast for them to keep up but Erza managed to parry all her attacks. There were a couple of times in which she was knocked down but Gray got in the way and covered them. Unfortunately, he could feel that they were receding, step by tortuous step. The woman was succeeding in keeping them from their goal.

An enraged growl escaping his throat, Gray froze one of the woman's legs, slowing her down. Erza took the chance to throw her to the ground, her sword pinning the woman to the dirty ground by piercing her on her left shoulder. Yellow blood started oozing.

Unintelligible noises issued from the enraged woman, at the same time that her free limbs were flailing.

Gray instantly set to cover her with ice. The crystalline sound of the limbs being covered and the pained ones the she let out echoed for long moments. When there was silence, the ice mage looked up at his friend. She gave a slight nod.

Gray broke the ice, seeing the figure it encased turning into a million of tiny pieces.

An overwhelming pain took over Gray who fell to the ground, kneeling and curling in on himself. His breath came out ragged, pain coursing through him, raking at his insides in such a way that he feared he was going to be ripped open from the inside.

Gray was wheezing, Erza's hand on his shoulder was squeezing in a motion that tried to be reassuring.

Then, it left. Gray slumped to the cold ground slightly, his breathing loud in the still room.

A loud gasp came from Erza so the ice mage mustered his energy to sit up and look at her. She was staring at her armor-clad hands, eyes wide and mouth open. She took off one of the gauntlets and stared at her rosy flesh.

"It… it's done!" she said in a disbelieving voice, slowly kneeling on the ground.

Gray slumped slightly with a small grimace. He ran a hand through his hair and then paused to stare at where the loathed mark was. Well, had been. The skin was clear, if somewhat reddish and warm to the touch.

He couldn't help but repeat her disbelief. "It really is done! Ahah…" laughter erupted between the duo while they sat on the dirty floor, clasping at each other's wrist.

Then something hit Gray. There was something missing.

"Natsu!" he said out loud. The laughter stopped and they scrambled up, heading to the remaining door, from which strange noises were coming.

They headed to it, Gray stopping right before opening it.

"Erza, I want you to go meet Lucy and check on the others." He said, without turning.

"Gray, don't be daft. I'm here and I'll go to the end with you. I'm sure the others are fine." She said impatiently.

"No. I want you to check on the others. I'll take care of whatever's beyond the door," at the disagreeing noise she did, he cut in, "and you'll follow my orders. Don't forget that you answer to me and I just gave you an order." His words came out forcefully.

Hands spun him so that he was facing the red head. She was looking at him, concernedly.

"I'll go but you better come back, you hear. And bring him." Her eyebrows descended slightly. "Otherwise there won't be a hierarchy to save your ass. Be careful." She straightened up and marched to the corridor from which they had come from.

Gray braced himself and gripped the handle. It felt strange, as if it were vibrating in his hand. But it was just… weird, right?

He opened the door and stopped.

What he saw made his eyes widen and his mouth fall open.

'_What the hell?_'

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** At long, long last – a new chapter of The Ice Court. I'm so sorry for taking so long to update.

Hmm, a while has past since I last wrote for this 'verse but hopefully it didn't come out as too choppy… I'm sorry for some of the bits that happened in the chapter. They weren't meant to happen but the bunny had other ideas. I apologize…

Well, I would like to dedicate this chapter to K. Thank you for your unrelenting support. You've been there through it all, listening to my bitching (and I still think that I'm entitled to it), supporting me and giving me strength to continue. Oh, and I'm so not apologetic for dumping those new bunnies onto you (muahahahahah).

As usual, this hasn't been beta-ed by other person but me (in the end it shall be) so, do apologize my mistakes and stuff. But we're almost to the end! Just, let's hope I don't put writing the (bad) alternate ending in my mind… I already have way too much on my plate as it is.

By the way I posted a small poll on my profile concerning this fic. It's just me asking if you want me to extend this small story into something bigger. I would love to hear from you.

I hope the readers enjoyed another piece of my craziness, I have a lot of things on the works so, let's hope that the Muse is with me!

Any feedback is, always, highly appreciated.

A/N2: This chapter was edited due to ffn's new directives. If you want to read the complete chapter, please head to my Livejournal.


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